DOVER – People with diabetes are encouraged to attend the free Diabetes Wellness Expo on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, at the Dover Downs Conference Center, located at 1131 N. DuPont Highway in Dover. More than 50 exhibitors and screeners will showcase diabetes services, supplies, and programs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The 17th annual event, organized by the Delaware Diabetes Coalition (DDC), the Division of Public Health (DPH) and other partners, brings together health care facilities, diabetes-related organizations, and businesses to promote self-management and healthier lifestyles for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes.
More than 85,000 Delawareans have diabetes and an additional 85,000 people have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, lower-limb amputations, heart disease, and stroke in the United States. The disease requires extensive medical monitoring and costly, lifelong treatment. However, the health impacts of the disease can be managed through healthier lifestyle choices, the use of self-management techniques, and properly prescribed medications, which allow many to enjoy a higher quality of life.

The expo includes educational presentations on diabetes/pre-diabetes management, medication adherence, healthy eating, A1C control, and the benefits of exercise. Blood sugar, blood pressure, foot care, eye exams and other screenings are available. Free flu shots will also be provided. A box lunch including a gourmet sandwich, fruit and beverage will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

Overweight and obesity are major contributing factors for developing diabetes. According to the 2017 Delaware Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), 19.6 percent of Delaware adults who report being obese have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared with 6.1 percent of adults who report normal weights. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimates between 90 percent and 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. People with pre-diabetes are at risk for developing type 2 (previously called adult onset) diabetes, but they can significantly reduce that risk by increasing physical activity and eating a healthier diet.

The 2017 BRFS also provides information about compliance with recommendations for people with diabetes.

• 60.4 percent say they check their blood glucose (sugar) levels one or more times per day. The recommended frequency is three times a day for most adults with diabetes.
• 33.8 percent see their doctor four or more times a year. An additional 35 percent say they see their doctor two or three times a year.
• 92 percent say they have been checked by a doctor for Hemoglobin A1-C one or more times in the past year.
• 76.9 percent of people with diabetes had an eye exam in which their pupils were dilated during the past year.
• 15.8 percent of people with diabetes said they have been told by a doctor that diabetes has affected their eyes, or they have retinopathy.
• 80.9 percent said a health professional had checked their feet for sores or irritations one or more times in the past year.
• Half (50.4 percent) of all adults diagnosed with diabetes say they have taken a course or class in how to manage diabetes.

For more information, call the DDC at 302-388-9728 or DPH’s Diabetes and Heart Disease Prevention and Control Program at 302-744-1020. You can also learn more about diabetes programs and resources at http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/dpc/diabetes.html.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

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